Pepperdine Beats Sonoma State, 89-64

It took longer than expected for Pepperdine to get going before the Waves scored an 89-64 victory over Sonoma State in their home opener at Firestone Fieldhouse in Malibu on Saturday night.

The Waves didn’t take the lead for good over the NCAA Division II Cossacks until guard Damin Lopez made two free throws for a 21-19 lead with 7:16 remaining in the first half.

The Waves then outscored Sonoma State, 17-5, in the final seven minutes of the half to take a 38-24 halftime lead.

Pepperdine, which improved to 1-1 after a season-opening loss to Texas Tech, led by as many as 27 points and was never threatened during the second half. Sonoma State is 0-3.

“I thought (Sonoma State) played well and caused us a few problems,” Pepperdine Coach Tom Asbury said. “Teams that are small and play a real unconventional game like that are tough for us to play. But once we got into the flow, I thought we played well.”

With only one Sonoma State player taller than 6 feet 3 in its starting lineup--6-6 center Mike Waggoner--Pepperdine enjoyed a distinct height advantage.

But the Cossacks stayed close behind the long-range shooting of Waggoner, who finished with 16 points--including four three-point baskets--to lead Sonoma State.

The Waves took control during the second half with the help of two reserves, sophomore forward LeRoi O’Brien and freshman guard Jamal Lawrence. O’Brien had 11 points and five rebounds, all during the second half, and Lawrence scored nine points.

Pepperdine was led by forward Dana Jones, who scored 14 points and grabbed 11 rebounds, and Lopez with 12 points.